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serve the carrots from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6–8

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carrot savvy

If you would prefer to use large whole carrots, you will need 2 pounds, and I recommend that you peel and cut them into 1-inch lengths.

Caramelized Onions

Sweet, golden brown, and melting into their own sauce, these onions are a terrific addition to soups or stews and make a terrific topping for burgers, grilled meats, or sandwiches. Make sure to use sweet onions, like Vidalia, Walla Walla, Texas 1015’s, or Maui onions; these onions have 6 percent sugar and are the only ones that can carry the label “sweet.” Ordinary brown onions will give you a harsh-flavored dish. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup chicken broth

6 large sweet onions, cut into half rounds (see savvy)

combine all the ingredients except the onions in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and toss to coat. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the onions are golden brown.

stir several times during the cooking process, and check them at 10 hours, to make sure they don’t burn. Remove the onions from the cooker and cool before serving.

makes about 5 cups

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onion savvy

Brown onions are stored for months, and do not add a sweet flavor to dishes. Yellow onions are sometimes labeled “sweet (and are not okay to use),” and red onions are a fair substitute for the sweet onions called for. Once cooked, the onions may be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to two months.

Creamed Pearl Onions with Sherry and Mushrooms

A tradition for my family at Thanksgiving dinner is to have creamed onions in a sherry and mushroom sauce. This dish doesn’t contain any cream; instead the onions become tender and creamy in the low and slow braise and are mixed with with cremini mushrooms and sherry.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup double-strength chicken broth

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 pound pearl onions, peeled (see savvy)

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the onions are tender and ready to serve.

serves 8

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onion savvy

To peel pearl onions, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, drop the onions in the water, and bring back to a boil. Drain the onions and let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut the root end from each onion and slip off the peels.

Stuffed Onions

Stuffed onions were a staple of the 1950s and 1960s when onions were inexpensive and could be stuffed with everyday ingredients. I love what the slow cooker does to make them tender, caramelized, and scrumptious, and they can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. Follow the basic instructions for preparation, and make a filling that will suit your main course. I like to serve these on a platter surrounding grilled or roasted meats.

8 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia

Fillings (facing page)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup double-strength chicken broth

cut the top off each onion and peel back the skins to the root end. Cut off the skins, leaving the root end intact. Place the onions in a large skillet and add enough water to come halfway up the onions. Bring the water to a boil and continue to boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are tender but not cooked through. You just want the onions to be pliable so that you can scoop out the center. Remove the onions from the pan and cool.

using a sharp paring knife, cut around the center of the onion on the stem end, leaving at least two layers of the onion on the outside. Reserve